• 'As a clinician, I would not take the results as indicative of any outcome in humans as far as cure'

• 'I tend to be both optimistic and realistic'

VIENNA

Cancer researchers say they are cautiously optimistic after Spanish scientists reported eliminating pancreatic tumors in mice using a triple combination therapy, while stressing that promising preclinical results often fail to translate into effective treatments for humans.

In a study conducted at Spain’s National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), researchers used a “triple combination therapy” that successfully eradicated pancreatic tumors in mice.

While many cancers can be treated in mouse models, pancreatic cancer in humans remains particularly difficult to treat.

The Spanish team used immunocompetent genetically engineered mouse models as well as experimental models derived from human pancreatic tumors.

Institutions such as CNIO have stressed that encouraging preclinical findings must be followed by carefully monitored human trials involving sufficient patient numbers, noting that serious side effects can emerge unpredictably during clinical testing.

Cancer experts, therefore, remain hopeful but grounded about the implications of the findings.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Wafik El-Deiry, director of the Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University in the US, described the Spanish study provided strong preclinical data but warned that success in animals does not guarantee success in humans.

He said the rational design of the therapy, which targets known resistance mechanisms, makes the results encouraging and potentially ready for clinical evaluation given that the drugs are already available.

However, El-Deiry emphasized that scientific strength alone does not ensure real-world outcomes.

“As a clinician, I would not take the results as indicative of any outcome in humans as far as cure,” he said.

‘Much more complex in humans, especially pancreatic cancer’

El-Deiry said cancers are often treatable in mice, but human disease, particularly pancreatic cancer, is far more complex.

He noted that the lack of reliable biomarkers to predict which patients will benefit from new therapies frequently leads to failure in clinical trials.

El-Deiry also said resistance mechanisms can emerge over time in treated patients.

He stressed that toxicity and side-effect profiling are critical in cancer drug development.

“As time goes by we do have better tools to predict toxicities including alternatives to animal testing,” he said.

According to El-Deiry, unexpected side effects — especially those that may appear only when drugs are tested in combination — remain a major concern in human trials.

He added that despite advances, animal testing remains essential for assessing systemic toxicity and potential side effects.

Both optimistic and realistic

El-Deiry said oncologists aim to keep patients alive until the next scientific breakthrough, noting that while some treatments produce dramatic results in certain patients, this is not the norm.

He stressed the importance of caution when translating laboratory advances to patient care, as many life-extending treatments do not work for everyone and their effects may not be durable.

“I prefer to be both optimistic and realistic,” he said.

* Writing by Selcuk Uysal